Boulder One of Top Spots for Biking

Getting around Boulder, Colo., on two wheels is easier than almost any other place in the country, according to a recent study.

The website Walk Score, which grades cities and neighborhoods on their walkability, recently scored 100 U.S. cities on their bikeability. The scores are based on the number of bike lanes, hills, destinations and road connectivity. The website also considered how many bicyclists are on the road, figuring that there is safety and visibility in numbers.

Using those factors, cities were given a bike score of 1-100. Boulder, with a score of 86.4, came in fourth in the nation. That is in the range described as "very bikeable" and just short of what the study considers "Biker's Paradise." In that range, which requires a score of 90 or above, researchers estimate that just about every daily errand can be accomplished on a bike.

With its vaunted B-cycle bike sharing system, one might expect Denver to score well, and it does if you look at only large cities with a population of 500,000 or more. Denver is the third most bike-friendly big city, according to Walk Score, behind Portland, Ore., and even hilly San Francisco.

But in overall rankings, Denver falls to 18th place with a total score of 69.5, well behind Boulder.

Overall, bike commuting has grown nearly 50 percent from 2000 to 2011. But in cities that have made an investment in bicycle infrastructure and education, commuting on two non-motorized wheels has grown 80 percent during the same period.

The trend is not going unnoticed by developers. An increasing number of apartment buildings are now incorporating bicycle storage and repair shops as amenities to attract renters.